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C a r e e r s C o u n s e l l i n g |
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Q: What is careers counselling? |
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A: Careers counselling involves making an appointment and speaking with an experienced counsellor who will assist you in planning your future career. Specifically, each of the Counsellors at ‘Careers and Employment' can assist you to clarify ideas, provide support in decision-making and planning, or provide you with a different perspective on your career-related issues. |
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Q: What sorts of issues may be covered in a session? |
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A: Some common issues that students come to see our Careers Counsellors about include:
 Resume and cover letter writing and checks
Interview advice and practice
Assistance in identification of individual skills, values and abilities
Discovery of employment opportunities within certain study areas
Job search strategies
Career planning to ensure a higher rate of employability
Postgraduate study options
Other career related issues |
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Q: Who provides the careers counselling? |
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A: Swinburne Careers and Employment have a number of qualified Careers Counsellors who specialise in TAFE, Higher Education and Post Graduate studies. A maximum of 3 careers counselling sessions per year are provided free to all enrolled Swinburne students, Higher Education graduates of up to 2 years and TAFE graduates of 6 months. |
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Q: How do I make an appointment to see a Careers Counsellor? |
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A: Contact Careers and Employment on 9214 5360. Note that Careers Counsellors are available Monday to Friday, 9.00am – 5.00pm at the Hawthorn Campus, Tuesday and Friday at the Lilydale Campus, and at Prahran on Tuesday and Wednesday. |
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S t u d e n t s |
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Q: I am a special needs student. How can the careers service help me? |
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A: We have put together a resource to support students with special needs. To access this resource click here. Alternatively, you can contact Careers and Employment on 9214 5360 to book an appointment to see a Careers Counsellor in person. |
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Q: I am a mature aged student. How can the careers service help me? |
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A: Visit the Careers Service, or make an appointment to speak to a Careers Consultant by calling 9214 5360. |
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C o u r s e E n q u i r i e s |
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Q: I am thinking about changing or dropping out of my course. Can you help? |
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A: For a variety of reasons, many students change courses, withdraw from certain subjects, defer their subjects or withdraw from their course altogether.
There are five steps that Swinburne Careers and Employment recommend you follow before taking action:
Step 1 - Understand your situation and take a close look at yourself
Step 2 - Talk to others
Step 3 - What are my options
Step 4 - Following through on your decision
Step 5 - Finding the right course/career for you
For more information on what each of these steps entail, download the job search handout from SwinEmploy. |
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E m p l o y m e n t |
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Q: Does Careers and Employment help students to get a job? |
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A: Whilst Careers and Employment can't find a job for you, we do help you throughout the job search process. Careers and Employment provides an online jobs portal – SwinEmploy which lists a range of casual, temporary, part-time, full-time and graduate positions suitable to Swinburne students and graduates. Careers and Employment also provides a number of Seminars on job hunting. Also be sure to download the fact sheet on Job Hunting from SwinEmploy. |
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Q: What is a graduate recruitment program? |
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A: A graduate recruitment program is just one way for the larger organisations to source new talent in a wide range of disciplines. In turn, successful applicants are offered a range of benefits. The new employee may be rotated through positions in various divisions of the company to get an overview of the company's activities; they may be given regular in-house training, or have a mentor assigned to them, or there may be a peer support network. At the end of the induction period, the employee may be able to choose where they would like to work within the company.
Careers and Employment also hosts an annual Employment Fair along with Employer Information Sessions where employers come on campus and talk to students about their programs. |
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Q: How does the graduate recruitment process work? |
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A: The majority of graduate recruiters recruit up to a year in advance, so you need to ensure that you regularly check their websites and the 'My Career' section of the Saturday's Age to make sure you don't miss out. The period of Intake for a graduate recruitment program generally runs from February to September each year.
In the final semester of your penultimate year you should begin to research programs that you might be interested in applying for the year after. Make sure you are registered with SwinEmploy and that you collect your FREE copy of 'Graduate Opportunities' (limited copies) and 'Unigrad' or visit their websites which list all the graduate recruitment positions available throughout each year. Copies will be available from the Hawthorn, Prahran and Lilydale campuses from March.
Also ensure that you attend our annual Employment Fair for a chance to meet employers in person and ask questions about their programs.
If you require further assistance, speak to our Employment Programs Officer, Sanchita Davis, Mon-Thu, 9.00am-4.30pm or come to our office at Swinburne Place, West Building, Ground Floor, Wakefield Street, Hawthorn or telephone 9214 8521. |
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Q: What kind of job can I get with my qualifications? |
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A: To find out what type of jobs you can apply for after you finish your degree, Careers and Employment have developed the resource "What can I do with my degree?" This resource looks at every degree and the career outcomes that can be expected from studying that degree. |
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Q: How can I best prepare for the career I am considering? |
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A: It doesn't matter whether you are in your first or final year of study; it's never too early to start planning for your future career. Within each year of study, there are a number of steps that Careers and Employment suggest you follow. |
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Q: What skills and attributes do employers look for in a graduate? |
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A: Graduate Careers Australia (GCA) conduct an annual survey of graduate recruiters. The 2006 Graduate Outlook Survey included 127 graduate employers from various industries across Australia and New Zealand . The survey asked the graduate employers to record what they considered to be the key selection criteria (KSC) they used when recruiting graduates. Below is a list of the most desirable characteristics that graduate employers seek in an applicant.
Interpersonal and Communication Skills (written and oral)
Academic Qualifications
Work Experience
Leadership Skills
Passion/Knowledge of Industry/Drive/Lateral Thinking/Technical Skills
Emotional Intelligence (including self awareness, strength of character, confidence, motivation)
Activities – includes both intra and extra curricular
Cultural Alignment/Values Fit |
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Q: I'm interested in working overseas, what opportunities are available? |
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A: Working overseas can be an invaluable experience as well as an attractive addition to your resume. To find out more about what opportunities are available search our website under Student Employment. Also ensure that you register with SwinEmploy to access our Going Global Jobs Database which includes world-wide job openings, internship listings, industry profiles and career specific information. |
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Q: Are there any workshops that can help me in my job search? |
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A: Careers and Employment run several seminars specific to job search techniques each semester. Seminars must be booked through SwinEmploy. We strongly encourage students to attend as many seminars as possible. Much of the content has been developed as a direct result of student feedback. Try and make the most of what's available. If you are unable to attend a seminar our handouts are available online or visit the Careers Office on your campus. |
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Q: How can I find out more about self employment? |
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A: Self-Employment is a career choice available to anyone who has specific expertise, knowledge and resources which they are willing to exchange for profit. Careers and Employment have designed a fact sheet to answer any questions you might have about running your own business, download from SwinEmploy |
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W o r k E x p e r i e n c e |
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Q: How can I find out about work experience? |
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A: Work experience whether paid or unpaid is highly valued by prospective employers. Volunteer work can provide valuable work experience and be an important step to a full-time or part-time position in your chosen industry. Many employers prefer to hire staff who have some voluntary work experience, and often even a few months as a volunteer worker can be enough to give employers the extra confidence to take the chance on you.
Careers and Employment offer a Voluntary Work Experience Program which asks that students undertake 40 – 80 hours of course-related work experience across a semester. Students undertaking approved Voluntary Work Placements are covered by Swinburne's personal injury or property insurance for the duration of their placement, provided that several conditions are met. Click on the link above to find out more about the Voluntary Work Experience Program. |
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Q: How can I get some volunteer work? |
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A: There are several ways of obtaining work experience. If you have your own contacts, simply ask at reception of Careers and Employment for the employer ‘Voluntary Work Placements' leaflet which the host organisation is to complete and return for project approval to Careers and Employment.
If you don't have your own contacts then you can source professional contacts relevant to your field of study by browsing Employers by Occupation. Alternatively you can browse SwinEmploy for voluntary work or use the website www.volunteer.com.au . |
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J o b A p p l i c a t i o n s |
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Q: How can I get help with writing my resume and/or cover letter? |
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A: Careers and Employment offer a resume checking service which is available at all campuses between 1.30pm – 2.30pm (days vary between campuses, thus students are advised to check their relevant campus schedule before dropping in during this time).
Before utilising this service, we ask that your resume and/or cover letter follows the guidelines detailed in the Cover Letter and Resume handouts. |
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Q: How do I prepare for a job interview? |
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A: Preparation is crucial to success in interviews. To help you in your preparation and performance, the team at Careers and Employment recommend doing the following:
Downloading and reading the Interviews job search handout.
Attending a seminar on Interview Preparation and Performance.
Using the Interviewer to practice answering questions aloud (available at the Hawthorn and Lilydale campuses only).
Making an appointment to undertake a mock interview with a Careers Counsellor. Phone 9214-5360. |
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F i n a l Y e a r S t u d e n t s |
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Q: When should I start applying for employment? |
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As a general rule, you should begin to identify various career outcomes from your degree within your first year of study . If you plan on applying for graduate recruitment programs then you should ensure that you pick up a free copy of ‘Graduate Opportunities' from the careers office in early March. The majority of graduate recruiters recruit up to a year in advance, so you need to ensure that you regularly check their websites and 'My Career' section of the Saturday's Age to make sure you don't miss out. The period of Intake for a graduate recruitment program generally runs from February to September each year.
Before you graduate, you must ensure that you read the handout on Job Hunting and that your resume and cover letter has been checked and approved by a careers counsellor.
What percentages of graduates successfully obtain employment from my course?
To find out the percentage of graduates who successfully obtain full-time employment search for your course title under "What can I do with a degree?"
Do you have any information on starting salaries for graduates?
To access the starting salary for graduates you can either look at GradsOnline which provides figures on graduate outcomes specific to field of education and degree type, or you can consult "What can I do with a degree?" This resource provides median salary figures specific to Swinburne degrees.
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G r a d u a t e s / A l u m n i |
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Q: I have just finished my course and am not sure what I want to do or what I can do with my degree? |
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A: To find out what employment opportunities are available to you after the completion of your degree consult "What can I do with a degree?" or make an appointment to speak in person to a Careers Counsellor by phoning 9214-5360. |
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Q: I am considering undertaking postgraduate study. Can you provide me with any information? |
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A: If you are considering undertaking postgraduate study then read our resource "Thinking about Postgraduate Study? |
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